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The Football Association has unveiled a five-year sustainability strategy that will include a focus on reducing resource consumption at Wembley Stadium, the home of English football.
The FA’s ‘Playing for the Future’ initiative, which will run until 2028, includes a long-term pledge to invest more than £35m in achieving net-zero carbon emissions through the organisation by 2040.
The governing body will also work towards reducing CO2 emissions by 50% by 2030, whilst reducing electricity and water consumption by 30% and gas consumption by 20% by 2028, all in comparison with a 2019 baseline.
The focus on saving resources will include embedding sustainable practices across the organisation, Wembley and the FA’s main training centre at St. George’s Park, as well as minimising waste through procurement choices, identifying reuse opportunities and maximising recyclability.
The FA has also vowed to protect biodiversity across its venues and to create an operational framework to support the broader strategy whilst increasing awareness and environmental sustainability among fans to supporting wider societal changes. The new strategy will also ensure FA partners are aligned and committed to the organisation’s sustainability ambitions.
The FA said that the launch of the new sustainability strategy builds on extensive work across Wembley Stadium and St. George’s Park to drive operational sustainability efforts, particularly around waste, food and energy. The strategy will be reviewed every two years and further updates will be provided in due course.
“The climate crisis presents one of the most significant challenges of our lifetime, and we are determined to play our part in inspiring positive and meaningful change,” the FA’s chief executive, Mark Bullingham, said.
“Through our new five-year commitment, we want to make tangible progress through our own sustainability initiatives, while raising awareness, and bringing the wider football community with us on this journey.
We look forward to working with the leagues, clubs, County FAs and our partners to harness the unique power of football so that together we can have a beneficial impact on the planet and a positive influence for future generations.”
Ruaidhri Dunn, the FA’s Head of Procurement and Sustainability, added: “We are very proud of our achievements in recent years to become more environmentally friendly, including Wembley Stadium being awarded the highest standard of sustainability by the ISO, however we want to make further progress.
“Our new strategy focuses on a number of key areas including reducing emissions, optimising resource consumption, plus governing and supporting wider change across football – and we look forward to driving forward with the next phase of our sustainability efforts.”
Image: Jaanus Jagomägi on Unsplash
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